That is true some teams may be better than predicted like the Saints. How many times that happen per year? Especially with multiple teams. Also, schedules show away/home games. I think ignoring a stretch of road games is pretty ignorant. Schedules are definitely not the be all end all, but it is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Every year there is a team better than predicted. The last place NFC South team in the last 4 years has won the division the next year. Bears from 2004 to 2005. Packers last year came out of no where. Nobody predicted 13-3 for the Pack.

Recent History

1) NFC East tough every year
2) rest of NFC is a crap shoot except for Seattle in the West(maybe on the decline but everyone in the West is always so weak)
3) Pats,Colts,Chargers consistently dominant
4) NFC North tough with Pittsburgh consistent then one team out of Browns(2007), Ravens(2006), Bengals(2005) challenging them.
5) Lions,Cards,49ers,Raiders,Texans(might change this year) always stink

yes u can keep an eye on it, but to say thats the reason why we wont be worse is dumb. i never said the schedule is nothing u should use

I never said that they were even going to get better. I said I could see them with a winning schedule with their schedule. Obviously it's not just the schedule, it depends a lot on Forte. Yes, teams do get better, but they also get worse. Was it in 2006 the Carolina Panthers had one of the best teams on paper and was expected to go far, but ended up a big disappointment? The street goes two ways.

You also said "I really think people shouldnt look at the Strenght of schedule that is coming up."

Every year there is a team better than predicted. The last place NFC South team in the last 4 years has won the division the next year. Bears from 2004 to 2005. Packers last year came out of no where. Nobody predicted 13-3 for the Pack.

Recent History

1) NFC East tough every year
2) rest of NFC is a crap shoot except for Seattle in the West(maybe on the decline but everyone in the West is always so weak)
3) Pats,Colts,Chargers consistently dominant
4) NFC North tough with Pittsburgh consistent then one team out of Browns(2007), Ravens(2006), Bengals(2005) challenging them.
5) Lions,Cards,49ers,Raiders,Texans(might change this year) always stink

Yes every year it does happen. I said how many times does that happen per year? Meaning, 1 team out of 32, hell I'll give you 6 teams doing surprisingly better but that still 6/32. Ignoring schedules because some teams "could be better" is still dumb.

Yes every year it does happen. I said how many times does that happen per year? Meaning, 1 team out of 32, hell I'll give you 6 teams doing surprisingly better but that still 6/32. Ignoring schedules because some teams "could be better" is still dumb.

You can't totally ignore the schedule but its not set in stone who will be good. Theres another side to things. Some teams come out of no where to be good. But that also means some teams come out of no where and are not good (ex Superbowl slump for the loser etc). Your scheduled looked harder playing the Bears last year but in reality they took a step back. The schedule factor is more so who you play at home and you play on the road. Plus there are injuries week to week that change how a team performs. For example, the Lions playing the Bears in Week 4 last year without Briggs,Tillman,Vasher made the game a easier for the Lions. But it's more about how your team performs and if they are consistent.

Perception about your team is another issue. The Colts and Lions could have the same exact schedule. The Colts fan(or rivals of a Colt fan) might see it as an easier schedule but the Lions fan might see it as tougher(because the Lions team lacks talent).

You can't totally ignore the schedule but its not set in stone who will be good. Theres another side to things. Some teams come out of no where to be good. But that also means some teams come out of no where and are not good (ex Superbowl slump for the loser etc). Your scheduled looked harder playing the Bears last year but in reality they took a step back. The schedule factor is more so who you play at home and you play on the road. Plus there are injuries week to week that change how a team performs. For example, the Lions playing the Bears in Week 4 last year without Briggs,Tillman,Vasher made the game a easier for the Lions. But it's more about how your team performs and if they are consistent.

Of course it isn't set in stone if a team is good or not. Watching a team's off season additions and departures isn't the same as seeing the team play, but you can still see how the team changed. I stated in another post that the schedule is very useful for away/home games and that the schedule isn't end-all be-all. To make a prediction without looking at the schedule is kind of dumb imo (not saying you ignore it, its not directed towards you Millen). How can you predict a team's record without looking at the games.

Of course it isn't set in stone if a team is good or not. Watching a team's off season additions and departures isn't the same as seeing the team play, but you can still see how the team changed. I stated in another post that the schedule is very useful for away/home games and that the schedule isn't end-all be-all. To make a prediction without looking at the schedule is kind of dumb imo (not saying you ignore it, its not directed towards you Millen). How can you predict a team's record without looking at the games.

It all comes down to making predicitons. You can't really make a predicition claiming it as a fact in the future. For the non-consistent teams(most of the NFC and some AFC), its a wild guess. Some teams like the Patriots,Colts you can predict 10 wins or more and have a high probablity based on consistency over many years but other than that its a guess no matter who is on the schedule. You can say you knew all along(not that you say that) how the team was going to be but there are so many factors that go into every game. Especially with the parity in the NFL.

For example, just because you see Lions on a piece of paper doesn't mean sure win every time for your prediction. I'm sure the 7 wins we had last year, every fan of the opposing team picked facing the Lions as Ws for their team. If based on predictions by opposing fans, the Lions would be 0-16 every year. But somehow they manage 5-7 wins for the most part.

How healthy is each team that week, whats the game plan(did Martz abandon the run for no reason), did the defense improve when you didn't think it would be that good(6-7 new starters in 08, turnovers at the beginning of 2007 and we were 6-2), how does you team match up against the Lions position by position(Lions matched up well against the Cowboys and the game was close), what were the weather conditions, home/away more important than who you play(Lions at home NFL caliber(5-3 played Dallas,Giants and for a half the Packers very tight), Lions on the road pee wee football, (2-6 blown out in 5 games). So many things change from week to week, making a prediction in July is just a guess.

can super Mario step-up, can Kmitch be adequately be replaced at OLB? No more questions about is Eli clutch or can Spags coach a defense. Cowboys should also be up there with a good win record as the top two teams in the NFC.

I could see us having the 'Sean Payton, Saints effect' and Zorn taking the league by storm with an uncharted offense going around 10-6. Or it could be a total flop and a rebuilding year and we go 6-10. 22 returning starters from a playoff team, I'm not expecting too much of a dropoff regardless of the coaching change.

The way I see it, the Cowboys will still be the regular season champs in the NFC. Pending McNabb and B.West being healthy, I think the Eagles should be much improved on both sides of the ball. I think the Giants, although Superbowl champs, played a little out of their talent level last year. I'm not saying they're not a playoff team in 08 but I don't know if they could make that amazing run again.